This is my Canon Sure Shot 85 Zoom Date with the lanyard just as it came to me from my local thrift store.
Sure Shot 85 Zoom
I watch my local thrift store closely for cameras and for Susan’s collection of orange depression glass. The other day, the 9th of March 2026, I found this Sure Shot 85 Zoom Date. Ten years ago you could pick a Sure Shot up for a few
dollars but those days seem to be over.
I don’t understand who is paying
these prices. Yes, I paid up but I
don’t know anyone else who
collects these things. Most are not
rare and some are completely
common, and yet the prices are in
the $40 to $50 dollar range and some asking prices are a lot more. It is a
strange market. But, let’s get to discussing this camera.
Canon introduced the Sure Shot 85 Zoom in September of 1998. It came in a normal version and a Date version that imprinted dates on the film. In Japan the camera was called the Autoboy Luna 85. That camera had a Panorama baffle option. In Europe it was called the Prima Zoom 85 and it came standard or with a Date option like the US Version.
When the camera is Off the lens retracts and a lens cover closes. The round window above the lens is the viewfinder. The circular window by the flash is the receiver for the active IR rangefinder.
When the camera is On the lens extends and the lens cover opens. The lens zoom is controlled by the two triangular buttons on the lower right (in the image) side and the shutter button is on the top at the left end.
Being the Date version, the camera has a back with a small LCD screen and controls for the date imprint function. Dates were programable up to 2019 only.
The lens is a non-interchangeable 38 to 55mm zoom lens with aperture from f/4.2 to 8.7. It has 6 elements in 6 groups with one aspherical element. The auto focus is an active infra-red emitting system .
One of the earliest forms of auto-focus depended upon the camera emitting a beam of infra-red light which would bounce off the subject and reflect back to the camera and the distance to the subject could be determined by the time the signal took to travel that far.
If the focal distance is “d” we can determine the value by multiplying the time the light took for the round trip from camera to subject and back by the speed of light. Because it was a round trip the result is divided by 2.
And that is how the rangefinder in the Sure Shot 85 Zoom works. This system was one of the earliest electronic rangefinding systems and it worked reasonably well.
In this camera there are three focus points only one of which is shown in the viewfinder. They are non-selectable.
Light levels are measured by a Silicon Photo Cell which is very sensitive to very low light levels. This is an automatic function over which the user has no control. It will handle light levels from EV 3.1 to EV 19.2 at ASA 100.
On the top of the 85 Zoom is the shutter button on the Right and Mode dial on the sloping back edge of the top deck. The small LCD has a battery meter and the frame counter.
The bottom of the camera has a tripod socket and the serial number. The small bitton just to the left of the socket is the mid roll rewind trigger. Other than that, a very uninteresting bottom.
The user has no control over anything other than the film they chose and and what they focus on. The camera controls all of the rest. There is no way to manually set the aperture or shutter speed. And speaking of the shutter, the Canon Museum says it is a “Program-type electromagnetic shutter/aperture …” This means, I think, that the shutter and aperture are combined in one set of blades that act as the shutter. But they only open far enough to correspond to the required aperture.
The camera reads the DX Code on the film can to obtain the film speed. The user cannot set the film speed and if you use a film can without a DX Code the camera will default to the same speed each time. I can’t find a reference to what that would be but I know that other cameras default to the lowest speed the camera will accomodate. That would be ISO 25.
The inside of the 85 Zoom
is much like any other Sure Shot. The pressure plate has two holes in it
for the AutoDate imprint LED’s behind the plate. The upper one is for the European and US models
and the lower one for the Panorama feature on the Japanese version. Film goes in the chamber on the right and the four round bright buttons are electrical contacts to read the DX Code on the film can.
Battery Compartment for the CR123A is on the left end of the camera
Mode Dial, two LCD Screens and Eye Piece with LED’s are all visible in this image
Next to the viewfinder eyepiece are two LED’s, one green and one orange. While looking in the viewfinder they are visible in the corner of your eye. Among other things they tell you when the camera is focused, when the subject is too close and when the flash is fully charged.
Camera function is controlled by the Mode Dial located on the left end of the top deck at an angle slanting to the back. The use of this dial is detailed in the User Manual below. It also has an “Off” position which obviously is where the dial should be when the camera is not in use.
The flash fires automatically in low light levels but it can be turned off with the Mode Dial.
The camera is powered by the CR123A lithium battery which loads in the left end of the camera. If the camera is not going to be used for weeks or months it is a good idea to take the battery out.
The Canon 85 Zoom User Manual where you can read the details about operating this camera. My description of the camera does not try to duplicate what you will find here.
And that is a summary of the Sure Shot 85 Zoom. For details on using this camera check out the User Manual.
This is a nice little camera. The copy I picked up is in excellent condition with all of the finish intact and only a little wear. It does appear to be fully functional. It fits the hand nicely yet is small enough to actually go in your breast pocket or purse. I have not tried this camera yet with a roll of film but I expect it is like the other Sure Shot cameras and takes excellent pictures. I will get to trying it eventually and when I do I will post the results here.
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